Montreal, Thursday, December 7,
2006 – The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
is thrilled to announce the first performers confirmed for its
2007 program, presented by General Motors in
collaboration with Alcan. The musical forecast for summer 2007
looks hot, with a dozen irresistible shows offering a glimpse of
what’s in store when the world’s finest musicians gather in
Montreal for the 28th edition of this annual
summit of jazz excellence.

(St.
Louis –December 11, 2006) World-class talent has teamed up
with a world-class cruise for the inaugural sailing of the North
Sea Jazz Cruise Hosted By Marcus Miller. Jazz Cruises, LLC,
the foremost and only producer of full-charter luxury jazz cruises
and musical host Grammy® Award winning musician/composer/producer
Marcus Miller, in conjunction
with the North Sea Jazz Festival
program department, have announced the initial talent line-up for
this maiden voyage. The dazzling array of talent features the most
celebrated and legendary jazz musicians, composers and vocalists of
our time. They include: vocalist Dee
Dee Bridgewater and her trio,
saxophonist James Carter,
trumpeter Roy Hargrove and his
quintet, the
Roberta Gambarini Quartet,
guitarist Lionel Loueke, The McCoy Tyner
Trio, Medeski, Scofield,
Martin & Wood and saxophonists David
Sanborn and Kirk Whalum.
They will join cruise guests aboard the
world-class Holland America’s m/s Rotterdam, named “2006 Ship of
the Year” by the World Ocean and Cruise Line Society, departing
from Copenhagen July 5, 2007. Following a breathtaking seven
day voyage with ports-of-call in Warnemunde/Berlin, Germany;
Gotenburg, Sweden; Oslo Norway; Hamburg-Elbe River/Germany, the
ship will dock in Rotterdam, The Netherlands and serve as a
“floating hotel” for the prestigious North Sea Jazz Festival
July 13 – 15, stay in port in the Netherlands and conclude on
July 17.

Where at one time can you
find nearly 8,000 jazz performers, educators, journalists,
photographers, producers, promoters, students and serious fans
outside of the world’s largest jazz festivals? At the International
Association of Jazz Educators’ 34th Annual Conference!
The 2007 event will be held on the same site as the 2006 conference,
right in the heart of midtown Manhattan at the New York
Hilton/Sheraton New York, January 10-13. Over 200 concerts, panels
and workshops are scheduled.

The world’s largest
conference in the name of jazz draws individuals and ensembles from
45 nations for four days of performances, clinics, demonstrations,
panel discussions, artist and industry exhibits, research
presentations, award ceremonies, interviews, and informal networking.
And that’s just what takes place within the convention centers.
Outside of the hotels, area jazz clubs typically schedule special
shows, taking advantage of the surge of jazz-bent tourists and the
congregation of the world’s top artists. Notes IAJE Executive
Director Bill McFarlin, “The IAJE Conference
always takes on a special energy when we meet in New York. It’s
exciting to see the city, already credited as the epicenter of the
jazz universe, explode with thousands of jazz professionals and
educators, many of whom can be found patronizing New York’s jazz
clubs and live music venues throughout the week.”

Get Ready for the musical adventure as the Minnesota Sur Seine Festival
returns.
Now in its third year, the 2006 Minnesota Sur Seine Festival
continues to offer a broad spectrum of music while maintaining the
festivals primary focus; providing a showcase for collaborative
performance and artistic experimentation between regional and
international musicians. The festival is international and
improvisational in nature
featuring adventurous jazz, but also
includes hip-hop, spoken word and world music performers as well,
presenting eleven nights of music in a uniquely diverse program
appealing to a widely diverse audience.

Don't miss the opening celebration at the Minnesota Museum of American
Art on October 12th. As throughout the festival, music is provided by
the pairing of Minnesota's finest musicians with world class
international musicians. In this case Dean Magraw on guitar, Jim Anton
on bass, JT
Bates on drums from Minnesota will perform with François
Corneloup on saxophones and Dominique
Pifarély on violin from France.

Called "Seattle's most important annual jazz event" by DOWNBEAT magazine,
this year the Earshot Jazz Festival runs from October 19 to November 5.
Earshot Jazz, Seattle's non-profit jazz-support organization presents
hundreds of the most important artists
of our day in more than 60 events in venues all around Seattle. In addition to concert performances,
the festival includes educational programs and panels, a film series, poetry and author readings, and art exhibits.

Earshot Jazz is a Seattle based nonprofit music, arts and service organization formed in 1984 to support jazz and increase awareness in the community. Earshot Jazz publishes a monthly newsletter, presents creative music and educational programs, assists jazz artists, increases listenership, complements existing services and programs, and networks with the national and international jazz community.
The Earshot Jazz Festival is now in its 18th year. For more information call the Festival Hotline at 206-547-9787.

The 2nd annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival will be held October 4-8th. Many of the shows are FREE including the capstone of the festival on Saturday, October 7th, when heavyweight artists Poncho Sanchez; Dr. John; Roy Hargrove; John Scofield, performing the music of Ray Charles, with special guest Mavis Staples; and Nasar Abadey & SuperNova will play on The National Mall starting at noon.

Charles Fishman, Dizzy Gillespie's former personal manager and producer, has lived in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC, for 21 years. Throughout his time in the city, he wondered why Washington was the only major capital city in the Western world without a jazz festival. "I thought it was a shame since jazz was invented in this country, and DC was the birthplace, musical training ground and home of the legendary Duke Ellington".

On September 28, 2005, with the support of the Government of the District of Columbia, Congressional resolution HR501 and numerous national and local sponsors, the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival debuted in honor of one of the 20th century's most celebrated musical geniuses.

Like the inaugural festival, this year's event presents major artists from around the country, from around the world and also introduces emerging artists. In addition to the grand free jazz showcase on The National Mall, prominent featured locations for festival events include the Lincoln Theatre, The Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art and neighborhood spots like the U Street Corridor's Busboys & Poets, the historic Bohemian Caverns and Twins Jazz Club.